Local lad Jack Parter has joined Faversham in a major club coup.

The experienced defender arrives for the Lilywhites’ Southern Counties East Premier Division title bid from Herne Bay.

He has already helped Tonbridge earn promotion to National League South in 2019 and got Bay promoted to Isthmian Premier for the first time in the club’s history during his first spell at Winch’s Field in 2022.

Parter will need little introduction to plenty in Town’s ranks.

He came through Gillingham’s youth-team set-up alongside captain Callum Davies and has played with winger Kieron Campbell at Herne Bay and top goalscorer Tashi-Jay Kwayie at Tonbridge.

Faversham manager Tommy Warrilow, who has also signed Uzbekistan’s former Worthing and Chatham forward Nodirbek Bobomurodov, said: “These lads all know each other anyway.

“The fact they’ve played together before does help but, at this level of football, everyone knows everyone.

“It’s not like your first day at school where you’re going in, not really knowing anyone. Even if they’ve not played together, they know each other through third-parties a lot of the time.

“Jack’s 31, as well, so it’s not like he’s a young lad coming into men’s football.

“Hopefully, he will have an impact at Faversham - off the pitch as well as on it.”

While Parter has never previously played for the club, he went to the town’s Abbey School, which is walking distance from Salters Lane.

His older brother Sam - with whom he runs a landscaping business - is also a former Faversham reserve-team player.

“It’s a good signing,” said Warrilow. “When you see Jack’s CV, it’s great. He’s a Faversham boy.

“I spoke to him and it was quite a comfortable chat. I’m looking forward to working with him.

“It’s not just a signing for this season, we’re looking to push on, but we need to get this season out the way and see where we’re at for next season.

“I cannot do anything about the levels but I just explained the journey we’re on. You have got to start somewhere - and this is where we are.

“Even on Saturday, there were more than 400 people there, which shows Faversham is an exciting club to be at in Kent.”

But Warrilow insisted Parter’s signing has been made purely for footballing reasons despite him becoming one of only a handful of Faversham lads to represent their local team since the Lilywhites reformed in 2005.

“This is a football decision and the geographical side of it pales into insignificance a little bit,” he explained. “That’s just a little bit of a bonus.

“I would love local people to come into the football club but, at any level, that’s hard to find.

“Jack can play anywhere across the back. We have got Bradley Simms, Tariq Ossai, Callum Davies and Matt Newman, and he’ll go into the hat with all of them.

“I know he’s a left-back but, speaking to some people, he’s done well at right-back, as well. Because he’s experienced, he can use his loaf.

"I don’t just want to bring anyone in, I want to bring people in that bring competition for places.

“That word ‘competition for places’ does get thrown around a bit but I’ve got Brad and Tariq, as well.

“With 14 league games still to go, there’s going to be plenty more twists and turns and knocks and niggles, so we’re going to need everyone.”

Frontrunners Faversham were 2-1 home winners against Hollands & Blair last weekend as centre-back Davies added to in-form forward Danny Parish’s early goal.

Warrilow said: “Sam Hasler has delivered a great ball in and Cal sort of got his frame on it. It was one of those where we’re not sure who it came off.

“I’ve had this chat all season, my centre-halves should be chipping in with goals and Ben Gorham got one at Hollands & Blair the other week.

"Obviously, we have the long throw, as well, so we’re looking to cash in from set-pieces.

“Saturday was a game that we started really well. We got the second but, all the time it’s 2-0, it’s tricky.

"I was just a bit disappointed with the performance.

“But every game is a massive game at Faversham Town because we’re expected to win every game and hopefully we go up [and] that sort of stigma will start to go a little bit.

“In the next 14 games, we’ve just got to get results.

"I would like to get the results in the right way but, if we need to win ugly, we’ll take that all day.”

Town also came close to a well-deserved clean sheet for sponsors’ man-of-the-match goalkeeper Archie Burford, filling in for the sidelined Jacob Russell, only for Blair to convert a stoppage-time penalty after a foul by right-back Ossai.

Warrilow said: “I felt for Archie.

"The penalty was really harsh and it was virtually the last kick of the game.

“He made a couple of outstanding saves and he was, rightly, the man-of-the-match.

“Archie is a good lad and he’d helped us out already before this season. Jacob isn’t a million miles away so perhaps we’ll need to have a conversation with him in the next week or so.

“But I think Archie’s trained with Colchester a bit and he deserves a chance because he’s so dedicated.”

The Lilywhites return to league action at Glebe this weekend.

While they won the sides’ opening-day encounter 4-0, play-off chasing Glebe are a much-changed outfit since then.

Warrilow said: “Even Hollands & Blair, who we’d played two weeks ago, had four or five changes from that side on Saturday.

“Glebe’s a tough place to go and play on their grass pitch. Hopefully, it doesn’t pour down too much!

“They’re another team fighting for a play-off place so it’ll be another tough game.”

Town were beaten 3-2 at Snodland in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, despite goals from Nathan Wood and Newman.

Striker Dan Thompson and the vastly-experienced Ian Draycott have left the club.